


Third Degree

by DolphinsShouldVote



Series: Bending AU [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, 逆転裁判 | Gyakuten Saiban | Ace Attorney
Genre: AU, Angst, Canonical Character Death, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I hestitate to tag parent child relationship because its not really but idk, Mentioned Blaise Debeste, Mentioned Gregory Edgeworth, Mentioned Manfred von Karma, Mentioned Wrightworth but really it's so minor it doesn't deserve to be tagged, Parent-Child Relationship, Past Child Abuse, The idea for this came to me in the middle of the night so it might just be terrible, This is really just an ace attorney fic with bending added in, Two Shot, bending au, description of burn scars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:28:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24424264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DolphinsShouldVote/pseuds/DolphinsShouldVote
Summary: SECOND CHAPTER ADDEDMiles Edgeworth and Sebastian DeBeste are nearly polar opposites. They're also far more similar than they know.(Basically, this story takes place with the characters from Ace Attorney in a world with bending from Avatar: The Last Airbender.)This fic will include descriptions/mentions of verbal and physical child abuse, as well as burn scars. Please do not read if these are difficult topics for you!
Relationships: Ichiyanagi Yumihiko | Sebastian Debeste & Mitsurugi Reiji | Miles Edgeworth
Series: Bending AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1780918
Comments: 11
Kudos: 48





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first crossover fic, y'all. I usually don't write stuff like this, and it was kind of hard for me to keep the mood serious when I was talking about bending, so I hope nothing sounds too forced. Anyway, I enjoyed writing this, and I hope you enjoy reading it!

Chief Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth was the type of man who didn’t like to take breaks. He liked to get everything done as quickly as possible, and that meant staying at his desk nearly all day. Because of this aversion, it was an incredibly rare sight to see him in the break room, but desperate times called for desperate measures. The desperate situation being that he had run out of water in his electric kettle to make tea with.

Prosecutor Sebastian DeBeste was the type of man who constantly took breaks. Perhaps it was because he was easily frustrated. Perhaps it was because he found he couldn’t stay focused for long stretches of time. Whatever the reason, he was often in the break room. This time, he was there to heat up the foil- wrapped burrito he had brought with him for lunch.

“Hey there Miles!” He slammed the door of the microwave shut.

“Hello, Prosecutor DeBeste,” replied Edgeworth as he turned on the water in the sink.

“Working hard or hardly working?” He started the microwave.

“I could ask you the same thing.” The kettle began to fill.

All of a sudden, there was a crackling, buzzing sound, and the smell of smoke began to fill the air. Sebastian jumped back, away from the microwave with a yelp. Miles looked over and saw smoke start to leak from the door of the microwave, a small orange flame inside. Sebastian stumbled backwards, tripping on a chair and landing flat on his bottom. He began to push himself backward on the floor, eyes wide and breathing fast. Edgeworth hesitated for a moment.

“DeBeste, are you not a firebender!?”

Sebastian shook his head. “I- I can’t… it’s… I can’t do it…” Miles’ eyes darted around the room, but there was no fire extinguisher to be found. The flame grew brighter. 

Miles took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Clumsily, he threw his hand out toward the microwave in a fashion that vaguely resembled a basic firebending move. The flame grew dimmer and died. After a moment, he stalked over to where Sebastian was sitting on the floor.

“What were you thinking, Debeste? Putting aluminum foil in the microwave? Really? You should know better!”

Sebastian’s eyes filled with tears as he looked up at Miles. “I’m so so sorry! It won’t happen again, I promise! I was just being stupid, I didn’t mean to do it! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry Mr. Edgeworth!” 

Miles froze. How could he have yelled at Sebastian like that, especially knowing his history? He squatted down so they were on the same level. Without thinking, he reached out to put a hand on the other man’s shoulder. With a shriek, Sebastian threw his gloved hands in front of his face and jerked away. Miles quickly withdrew the hand. 

“Sebastian. It’s alright, I’m not mad at you.”

Sebastian’s breathing was shaky. “What? But I could’ve burned the whole place down! I’m such a useless, stupid firebender that I couldn’t even put out a tiny little thing like that! I don’t deserve to call myself a bender. I don’t deserve to be a prosecutor! I’m such an idiot!” More tears than usual were running down Sebastian’s face.

Miles held out his handkerchief. “You are not an idiot. You are not stupid, nor are you useless. I promise I’m not angry with you.” He stood up with a sigh. “Why don’t you come to my office? We can talk there, and I’m sure you don’t want to stay on the floor of the break room.” Miles held out a hand to help Sebastian up, and he took it. They walked down the long hallway to Miles’ office, without a sound except Sebastian’s sniffling.

When they arrived, Edgeworth shut the door and gestured to the wine-red couch. The pair settled on either side of it. 

“Mr. Edgeworth, I just want to say that I’m really sorry for doing all that. Not just the fire, but the… crying and freaking out and everything. I know I can be really annoying because I’m such a crybaby and-” Edgeworth interrupted him.

“Sebastian, I want you to stop apologising. Please. There is nothing to be sorry for, it was an accident. Anyone could have made that mistake.”

“Sorry- I mean… um…” 

Miles shook his head. “It’s alright. Did you know that was the first time I’ve bended in… Oh, god, I can’t even remember how long it’s been.”

Sebastian looked up, thankful for the change of subject. “Really? I always thought you were a nonbinary- I mean, a nonbender.”

“Yes, well, that is the image I’ve tried to project... It’s easier for me if people think I can’t bend.”

“But why? Aren’t you always talking about finding the truth, even if it’s painful? The truth is that you’re a firebender. Why would you try to decide- I mean, deceive everyone like that?”

Miles sighed. He knew this was what the conversation would turn into, and to be honest he had hoped it would. Perhaps if Miles was vulnerable with Sebastian, the younger man would feel better about his own vulnerabilities. Miles was never good with this sort of thing. He had trouble reading people, he would always end up being too harsh or dismissive, he was awkward. But for Sebastian, he would try his best. 

“Am I correct in assuming you know about the DL-6 incident?” He waited for Sebastian to nod before he continued. “Well, my father, the… victim, in that case, was a firebender. After he died, I was adopted by Manfred Von Karma, who was an Earthbender. He… had a certain philosophy that he taught my sister and I: that we must always be the best at everything. Fire... is not as easy to control as the other elements. Bending it is more like simply directing it one way or another. It was… imperfect, and so I was not allowed to learn.”

“But you could always start now! It’s never too late to learn new things, and I should know.”

“I suppose it’s a matter of pride. I… An adult picking up bending at a nine-year-old level? I would be…” Miles tried to never talk about his feelings. It was his instinct to say he would be a laughingstock, the butt of every joke. He had talked about this with his therapist.  _ Think about  _ your _ feelings, not about how other people would feel about you.  _ “I would be embarrassed.”

Sebastian was silent for a moment. “I get it. After Po- after my father was arrested, I had to go back to school. I honestly didn’t realize how much I didn’t know back then. I was never any good at school in the first place, but once I realized what my actual grades were? I was mortuary- I mean, mortified. There was a while when I thought I was going to drop out and forget the whole thing. But I got through law school again, all by myself. I’m sure if you wanted to, you could become a really great firebender.”

Miles sighed. “You’re probably right.”

Sebastian pulled out his baton and extended and collapsed it back and forth, a sort of nervous habit of his. “If it was something else, I’d offer to go with you, but you saw how I was back there… How iconic- I mean, ironic, that a firebender would be scared of fire.”

“It’s perfectly normal to be scared of something like that, fire can be dangerous. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Sebastian gripped his baton hard and tears started to pool in his eyes. It wasn’t unusual for him to cry, but this time seemed different somehow. “It’s not just that… I should tell you the whole story. I owe you that much, after you-”

“You don’t owe me anything.”

“But I want to tell you. I… I haven’t told anyone this before. My Pops, you already know what he would say about me to other people, what he would say to my face… He’s a firebender too, you know? And so when I would… mess up or break something or talked back or… or something like that, he would… I should just show you.” Starting with the fingertips, Sebastian delicately pulled off his gloves with shaking hands.

From the way Sebastian almost obsessively wore his gloves, Miles had thought something like this might have happened. When he ate, when he worked, when he cleaned his office, even when he went out to social gatherings, he never took them off. He could recall one time when Prosecutor Gavin had mentioned them in passing and the look of sheer panic that came on Sebastian’s face. He had always assumed they were a sort of comfort object, like a security blanket. Even with his expectations, Miles had to hold back a gasp when the other man held out his hands. 

The skin beneath the gloves was rippled and discolored. Some of the scars were clearly older than others, which only made Miles’ heart hurt more. Some spots were red, the raised sections of flesh with extra scar tissue were pale white. Sebastian turned his hands over. The palms were just as bad.

“It was kind of funny when they took my fingerprints, since we have to have them on file.” He made a noise somewhere between a laugh and a sniffle. “The lady who was doing it took one look and screamed. It doesn’t matter, though. They let me skip it since I don’t have fingerprints anymore.”

“Your father… he’s the one that did this to you?”

“Yeah. The first time he did it, it was snowing so I wore gloves anyway. I was too embargo- I mean, embarrassed to show the scar to anyone, so I kept wearing them. I guess he figured it was easier to keep them somewhere I would hide.”

“... How long had this been going on?”

Sebastian thought for a moment. “I don’t know. It started when I was really young. He never wanted anyone to see so he would only do it if we were alone, or sometimes he’d pull me into the bathroom and do it if we were in public. It took me a long time to realize that what he was doing was bad. I really did love him a lot, and I thought he loved me too. The way he talked to me, he could always convince me that everything was my fault, that I deserved to be punished, that he felt bad for having to hurt me. That along with how young I was… I was just used to it.”

“I see…”

“We lived in a neighborhood with mostly earthbenders. He was the only one I really saw firebending, and he usually used it on me. I guess I started thinking that firebending meant pain, so I just refuted- no, refused to learn it. He didn’t mind that. It meant I wouldn’t fight back.”

All of a sudden, the door swung open. Sebastian shoved his hands in his pockets quick as a whip. 

“Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth, sir! I have some forms here that need the ol’ John Hancock of the Chief Prosecutor!”

Miles stormed over to the door. “Detective Gumshoe! How many times have I told you to knock before you enter my office?!”

“Oh, uh, sorry sir…”

He snatched the papers. “If there is anything else you need, I suggest you come back later.” He turned and slammed the door before settling back down on the couch. 

Sebastian frantically put his gloves back on as soon as the door was shut. “Mr. Edgeworth… Please don’t tell anyone about what I said, okay?”

“You don’t want to press charges?” Miles’ voice was exponentially softer than it had been only a moment before.

“No! I mean, he’s already in jail, so what’s the point? I don’t want to see him anymore.”

Miles nodded. “I understand. Not a word will leave this office. And… If you ever find yourself in need of someone to talk to… You are always welcome here.” Even though Sebastian was only ten years younger than himself, Miles felt a somewhat paternal instinct towards the other man. When they met, he was still a child, after all. Sebastian stood up. 

“Thank you, Miles. For listening, I mean. It feels good to tell someone.”

Miles stood up as well. “You are more than welcome. I should thank you, too, for listening to me.” Sebastian, with little warning, reached over and engulfed his boss in a crushing hug. Miles was too surprised to react immediately, but wrapped his arms around the younger man as well. When he pulled away, Sebastian was smiling. 

“I should get back to work. I’ll see you around, Miles.”

Ordinarily, he would chastise his subordinates for calling him by his first name, but he found that in this case, he didn’t really mind. 

“Goodbye, Sebastian.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all, this chapter is a lot more silly and lighthearted than the previous one, and it's mostly just Edgeworth on his own. There's also a couple brief mentions of Wrightworth, but nothing major.
> 
> TW- The trigger warnings from last chapter do not apply, but there will be vague mentions of drugs. Nothing worse than what has already been discussed in canon, but of course I thought I should mention it.

It was unusual for Miles Edgeworth to use his work computer for anything other than work. He was very busy after all- there wasn’t time for him to do much of anything else. However, the conversation he had had with Sebastian a few weeks ago had made him think. Perhaps… it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to try to learn firebending again after all these years. 

Of course, he would never allow himself to be seen at a beginner’s dojo, as those were all meant for children, so independent study was his chosen method. And of course, because he didn’t want anyone to know about it, his office seemed like a better bet than anywhere else. More often than not, he was in charge of watching his boyfriend’s daughter during the evenings, as the other man’s job required him to work until far after the girl’s bedtime. He could always make up for the lost work hours later that evening. This is how he found himself on youtube browsing children’s videos on the same computer that held photos of brutal, bloody murders and the names of secret mafia informants.

Edgeworth was never much of a youtube aficionado, but he could at least figure out the features of the site. After entering ‘beginner firebending’ into the search bar, he was disappointed to find childish cartoon suns and dragons dancing to minimally informative songs. Scrolling down, he found the first video featuring an adult, and clicked on it. 

A woman in a bright red workout suit and a high ponytail appeared on the screen. “Hi there everyone! Welcome to Francine’s Funky Firebending School! My name’s Francine, and I’ll be showing you the first steps to becoming a firebending master!” Her cheerful, energetic voice blared through Edgeworth’s headphones, and he quickly turned the volume down.

Miles held back an eye roll. Clearly, this video was meant for children, but maybe it would be worth the time.

“Alright, before we begin, let’s get all our wiggles out! Come on everybody! Wiggle with me!” She then began shaking around, looking incredibly foolish. Miles was definitely not doing that. 

“Okay, now we’re all warmed up! Remember to have a grown up with you, and a bucket of water or a fire extinguisher! Firebending can be dangerous, so make sure you’re prepared in case of an accident!” There was, in fact, a fire extinguisher in the office. Miles had brought one just in case. 

Francine put her hands on her hips and grinned. “To begin, let’s try putting out a fire that’s already started. This is a good skill to know, in case another move goes wrong. First, ask your grownup helper to light a candle for you. You can pause the video while they do that.” Miles wasn’t short on candles. A scented candle is a classic go-to present for acquaintances who are hard to shop for or who you don’t know very well, so naturally Miles had quite a few. He pulled a small, lavender-scented one from his desk drawer and lit it before setting it in front of him on the desk. 

He resumed the video. “Now, it’s time to make a strong stance. Copy what I do! You’ll want your feet pointed this way, and your knees bent just a little, like this. Remember my previous video where we tried different breathing exercises. Keeping your breathing steady is very important for firebending!” Miles looked out his window to be sure no one was watching, and then reluctantly stood up from his desk chair and copied the woman’s pose. He hadn’t watched the previous video, but he had already learned plenty of breathing exercises through his years of therapy. That should be enough, right?

“Try and feel the heat and the light coming from your candle. Get an idea of the way the energy flows. Feel the way it flows within yourself. And remember to keep doing those breathing exercises!” Miles focused on the small flame. It flickered from the air conditioning, but didn’t grow any dimmer. He frowned. This energy-flowing feeling he was supposed to have just wasn’t there. 

“Firebending is about drive. Some of you might be asking: ‘well, what does that mean?’ I’ll tell you! Drive is what motivates you. Think about your goals. What do you want to do? Why is it so important to you? That’s drive, and that’s what firebending is all about. Without drive, your bending will be very weak.” Miles scoffed. He was just about the most driven person he knew! How ridiculous that he was unable to do such a simple thing. He glared at the candle. 

“Remember your drive, and put out the candle like this!” She stepped forward and brought both hands down swiftly. Her candle’s flame was immediately replaced with a wisp of grey smoke. “You might not get it on the first try, but don’t worry! As long as you keep practicing, you’ll get it in no time. Before long, you’ll be a firebending pro!” 

Edgeworth copied the woman’s motions. The flame remained the same. He took a deep, steady breath and tried again. Yet again, it did nothing. Frustrated, he tried again one last time, only for the small lit candle to transform into a column of flame that nearly singed the ceiling. Stumbling backwards, Edgeworth watched as the fire gradually died down to its original size. Thankfully, the sprinkler system hadn’t activated.

What could he be doing wrong? His breathing had remained steady. Perhaps he didn’t have enough drive? He thought of all the years of working tirelessly to end the dark age of the law. All the struggles and sacrifices he had to make. His eyes narrowed. This candle was nothing compared to that. He would snuff it out just like he had snuffed out the corruption in the prosecutor’s office! Getting back into position, Edgeworth took a deep breath and swung his hands downwards one last time. The flame died instantly. 

It took a moment before Miles realized what had just happened. He stared at the candle, eyes wide. Nearly shaking with pride, he burst into a wide grin. He couldn’t help but let out a giddy laugh as the frustration that had filled him moments before dispersed. He had done it! And no one was having a panic attack this time!

Just at that moment, Detective Gumshoe burst into the office. 

“Mr. Edgeworth, sir! We finally caught that-... Are you feeling alright, Mr. Edgeworth?” Miles, who was still wearing headphones, grinning like an idiot, and leaning close to a scented candle in the middle of his desk, felt as if he could’ve had a heart attack right then and there. Quickly, he shoved the smoking candle to the side and yanked his headphones off. He tried to force himself into a scowl, but he found that at this moment it just wouldn’t come.

“Detective, I am feeling perfectly normal. What is it you wanted to speak to me about?” Miles could feel his face growing hot. He only hoped the detective lacked the logical skill necessary to uncover his activities. 

“Well, uh, we finally caught that serial killer and the Chief personally asked if you would put your best guy on the job. I’ve got her file right here... I’m sorry Mr. Edgeworth, but are you sure you’re alright? You seem a little… flushed.”

Miles laughed, startling the detective. “I am perfectly fine. It must just be… allergies.”

“Allergies? I thought you were only allergic to pollen, sir. If you find out where it’s coming from, I’ll try and take care of it for you. It’s winter after all, there’s not much pollen outside at a time like this! Maybe a houseplant?”

Shit. “I may just be mistaken, Detective. Now, about the case…”

“And that look on your face. And all that giggling. Could it be… Could it be that you’ve been drugged, sir?! Are you feeling delirious?!”

He laughed again, despite all his efforts to hold it back. “Wh- what?! I haven’t been drugged, Detective! Don’t be ridiculous!”

“Sir, I don’t mean to be rude, but I think it’s fairly obvious that you’re under some type of influence. Now, if you’ve been recreationally using something, sir, I won’t tell anyone as long as you don’t do it at work again.”

“No, no detective! I would never do such a thing!”

“Then what’s got you giggling and blushing like a schoolgirl?! ...Sir.”

“I don’t think it’s any of your business, detective. Now if you don’t mind, give me the file and be on your way.” He had started to regain his composure. 

“If you say so, sir.” Gumshoe walked over, but rather than handing the papers to Edgeworth across the desk, he walked around the side, leaving the computer monitor in full view. 

“Oh, hey! Isn’t that that bending teacher lady? My niece just loves her!”

“Grk-”

“Are you picking up bending tricks or something, Mr. Edgeworth? I thought you were a nonbender!”

“Ngh-”

“She’s pretty great, huh? I heard she even used to be part of a pro-bending team!”

“Hmmng-”

“My niece learned some really cool tricks from her! She’s a firebender, she got it from my sister-in-law. Our side of the family’s all earthbenders, except for her! Maybe I’ll get her to show you something sometime!”

“Detective Gumshoe! I am a nonbender. I was watching this video… because…”

“There’s no need to be embarrassed, sir! I know all about Trucy!”

“Trucy?”

“Yeah, Trucy Wright! Aren’t you trying to find some videos for her? I didn’t think she was a bender either, but if she’s a firebender, Mr. Wright’ll have a real hard time teaching her, huh?”

“Um, yes, I suppose he would. You’re right of course. Wright himself is a waterbender and asked for my assistance in teaching his daughter. I was… doing research.”

“Well, why doesn’t he send her to a dojo, or ask an actual firebender for help?” Miles winced. “I know Kay’d be more than happy to help out!”

“Phoenix and Kay are not acquainted, and bending dojos are out of their price range. Not that it’s any of your business. I was just… doing what any good friend would do.” He still had trouble referring to Phoenix Wright as his ‘boyfriend’. It wasn’t that he was afraid of anyone knowing he was gay or anything… He would tell people if they asked! Or at least, he would stutter and flounder about like a fool while trying to avoid the subject. But he wouldn’t lie to anyone.

“That’s really nice of you, sir! Maybe I’ll ask my niece for some tips to pass on to Trucy!”

“I appreciate the thought, but that won’t be necessary, Detective. I am capable of finding information on my own.”

“Of course sir! She’s lucky to have you in her life. I bet she sees you like an uncle, with all you do for her!”

Edgeworth’s face reddened again. “Good day, Detective!”

“Yeah, yeah, see you later, Mr. Edgeworth!” The large earthbender walked back around the desk and left the office. Edgeworth sighed.

Keeping this a secret was going to be harder than he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I'm not really the best at writing lighthearted stuff, so I hope this addition was alright. If you enjoyed this or have any feedback, or want to see anything else in particular done with this AU, please leave a comment!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! If you liked this, please leave a comment! I have a few other ideas for stories written in this AU, so let me know if that sounds like something you'd be interested in!


End file.
